The National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) has issued regulatory directives to commercial passenger transport operators providing only inter-city services.
This is to improve the quality of service offered and mainly reduce crashes on the roads.
Commercial drivers who operate other forms of public transport popularly known as “trotro” are however exempted from the guidelines. The directives which are five in all state that all target operators are required to assign two drivers to all trips that are in excess of 8hrs or 500km and to submit a journey plan for all such routes.
This is enforceable from April 1, 2021.
In addition, all target operators are required to train their drivers in Defensive Driving in accordance with standards approved by the Authority & DVLA. This is enforceable from July 1, 2021.
The operators are also required to introduce the use of vehicle log books to help enforce protocols on maximum driving hours & high speed. This is enforceable from April 1 2021.
All target operators shall be required to appoint Road Safety Officers who shall be responsible for conducting pre-departure checks at all terminals.
The Operators shall notify the Authority of the appointment on or before April 1 2021, and all operators providing inter-city services shall fit retro-reflective tapes approved by DVLA on their vehicles in accordance with Regulation 80 of L.I.2180. This shall be enforceable on April 2021.
To ensure the safety and protect the lives of passengers, the Road Safety Authority has vowed to enforce these directives to the letter. It has, to this end appointed Road Safety Inspectors who will be conducting random and periodic operational audit at target terminals.
Transport Operators who fail to comply with these directives issued pursuant to Act 993 shall be sanctioned. The errant drivers also risk the suspension of their operations. Other sanctions to be meted out to defaulters also include the imposition of an administrative penalty of between Five to 20 thousand penalty units depending on the nature of the breach and consequences for public safety.
